Chapter 5

Knight to Pawn

2:00 pm, Wednesday

The phone beeped.

"Yes?" Mr. Dows said in a sharp, sophisticated voice.

"Strife here."

"Report."

Strife cleared his throat. "We followed the trace that the Matrix division performed to the home of a decker in Tacoma who goes by the name Fuzzhead. We made positive that he would not be interfering with the search any further. We ran through his previous calls and came up with a name, Ms. Windors, whom he called late last night."

"And?"

"We were unable to determine wether or not Ms. Windors had any connection with the disappearance of Lola Domingo. Though, she does appear to have strong connections with the shadow community. Shortly after our meeting, Ms. Windors went underground. We have been unable to make further contact."

"There is more?"

Strife hesitated, searching through his mind of anything that might be useful. "We have reason to believe that Fuzzhead might have told someone else about his escapades on the Matrix. We are currently following up that lead, but we also have some additional information that may prove critical to the situation."

"Continue."

"I have sent out agents into the field. It is possible that the decker leaked information about the situation and is it also possible that a shadow team has taken up a contract to find the missing access codes. Though it is a longshot, rumor's travel fast on the streets. With the right amount of money, we can find out who took the contract, who hired them, and where they are."

Mr. Dows frowned. "I am sending you additional resources and supplies. They will be sufficient for you to carry out your investigation."

"I understand."

"But, you have until three o'clock tonight to get me those codes. That is all of the time that I am allowed to give to you. Do not contact me again unless you have the codes."

"I understand."

The line went dead.

2:15 pm

Time? Time has no meaning anymore, Lola thinks to herself as she peals the tranq patch off her arm. She is growing tired of waking up in strange places. It was hard for her to imagine that yesterday she was sitting in her computer theory class in complete bliss. Now she found herself in one of the least hospitable places in the sprawl. A far cry from her concrete room in Loveland. This place was vile. The walls around her were made from a slick stone that was damp with a musty smell. The sound of flowing water could be heard in the distance. A single light bulb hang overhead and illuminated her cell with a dull glow. A door made from plastic composites and secured with a maglock kept her in.

Lola swore silently to herself. Sorrowful to be trapped in such bitter confines and so tired of running scared for the past day. She ached all over, having gotten very little sleep. Of all the events she has gone through: leaving her home, wondering Tacoma, being snatched off the street, and now ending up in this horrible place. Lola had always been told that the world outside the corporate enclaves was difficult at best. Now she knew first hand the horrors of the real world. She was no longer living the sheltered life of the daughter of a corporate employee. She was on her own in this struggle of life. Unfortunately, at the moment, she was losing that struggle.

No more, Lola thought to herself. She had to get out, there was no more time to simply wait around huddled in a corner and hoping for the best. If she did not help herself very soon the odds where that she would be very dead.

But how to free herself from this place? Lola didn't know a thing about defending herself. She wasn't a fighter no matter how much she would kid herself. She often boasted a lot in school, but she wasn't in school anymore. What she did know was computers.

Lola took another look at the maglock on her door. Then she cocked her head and smiled. There just might be a way out of here after all. The lock looked very simple, not very complicated at all. She had seen them installed before and had studied layouts and knew that they were similar in electronics to a computer. She still had to find something that would get her by the casing.

Again Lola smiled. She fished out a long chain necklace she was wearing and removed the small piece of metal at the end. It was her great grandfather's medal from when he was in the army. Though old, the metal was strong enough not to be bent. It was just what she needed.

2:18 pm

Remy's wristphone buzzed just as Hamish drove the Bison off the bumpy roads of the barrens and onto the main highway.

"Remy here." He said into his phone as he flipped up the screen.

Sheila Windors appeared to be concerned. "Remy?"

"Sheila?" Remy checked his watch. "I thought I told you I would call you in twenty-four hours."

"This is important, Remy." Sheila said. "There's been a development."

"Don't tell me you don't want the codes anymore. If that's the case we might as well head for McHughs."

"No, it's not that. This afternoon I had a visit from some corporate men asking questions about the access codes. My sources tell me they were from the opposition." Sheila was referring to Renraku. "I sent them away, but it's only a matter of time before they find out about you."

"So we've got some competition? That's nothing new."

"Remy, these guys are deadly serious. Do you remember how I told you I found out about all of this? How a decker contact of mine gave me a call."

"Of course." Remy nodded partially in agreement.

"I had someone to check in on him a few minutes ago." Sheila took a deep breath. "And he's dead, Remy. The corps tied him up to a chair tortured him. I was told that the body was mutilated. No one could have stood up to that kind of torture. If he knew anything, he must have told the corps."

"So they'll be tracking us down pretty soon, eh?"

Sheila agreed. "I'm going to be laying low for a while, Remy. I've got some things I need to take care of for when you locate the codes. I've got a message drop setup on the SeattleNet Public bulletin boards. When you find something, make a post under the article for New Coffee Cups. I'll know then that you have something. I'll make contact with you after that."

"Got it." Remy scribbled down a few notes on the palm of his hand.

"Talk to you soon." Sheila was about to hang up.

"Oh, wait, one other thing."

Sheila paused. "What is it, Remy?"

"You ever hear of a mage that goes by the name Dervish?"

"No, but I can find out."

"I need the low down on him and what he's into. We've got to make a stop right now to follow up a lead we got. If you find out anything, give me a call."

"Okay, Remy, until then." Sheila hanged up.

Guido snorted. "We stop for takeout now?"

"Not yet, Guido." Remy replied.

"We must find Dervish." Fulcrum insisted. "He's the key."

"Yeah, that's the guy that the weasel kept screaming out." Smiley said. "He sounded fragging confident when he named that slag. Of course, it was wiz of the weasel to offer me that credstick just after I had to break his fingers. Had a nice set of numbers on it too."

"Smiley, I can make it through the rest of the day without knowing what you did to that man to make him talk." Fulcrum said.

"He gave us an address, didn't he?" Smiley countered as he twirled his newly obtained credstick between his fingers. "I got the job done, didn't I?"

"How much is on that stick?"

Smiley wrapped his fingers around his possession. "Oh, no you don't, Shard. This is my cred, he gave it to me." He smiled. "But, just to entertain you, it's worth 20K certified. Not bad for a little squatter like the weasel."

"That man must have gotten the credstick from Dervish. It seems unlikely that he would just happen to have it with him. That's a lot of cash for someone who dresses in rags." Fulcrum stretched out in the bucket seat he was in.

"So Dervish paid off the weasel and the ork for the girl? Is that what you were thinking?"

"Could be, Remy." Fulcrum shrugged. "But it's hard to say why Dervish wants Lola Domingo in the first place."

"We don't know much of this Dervish in the first place." Shard pointed out.

"He is a mage, that much we obtained from Smiley's interrogations. One with a particulary vile reputation from the words he used to describe him." Fulcrum said.

"Nothing solid." Remy said sternly. "We know he's a spell tosser, but we don't know what he's capable of. So assume the worst when we go up against this guy."

"I hate ta' interrupt ye kind people." Hamish squealed from the overhead speakers. "But would one of ye mind telling me where this place is that we be going?"

Remy shook his head. "Sorry about that, Hamish." And looked to Smiley.

"Head over to 13 and Gilbert street, Ham." Smiley said. "That's what the weasel kept screaming about. Don't even ask me where that is cause I have no idea."

"I can handle that, mate." Hamish activated his internal orientation system and uploaded a map for the Seattle Sprawl. In a few seconds, he had a pathway traced and knew exactly how to get to where he was going. "Oh, frag."

"What?"

"This flat is up in Snohomish. It'll take the better part of an hour to get there. Specially with mid-day traffic." The rigger complained. "Not to worry, mates, I'll cut us through some side streets and avoid downtown."

Shard smiled. "With your driving, Hamish, I think we can cut the time in half."

"Thank ye for yer vote of confidence in my driving."

2:40 pm

Lola stepped as lightly as she could down the dank hallway. The strong, musty smell itched at her nose and she had to fight to keep from sneezing. It had taken her longer than she thought to get past the lock on her door. It was very difficult, the lock was there to simple keep the door secure. Whoever had placed it there was intending that the person inside would not have the skill or the tools to overcome it.

What was that sound, Lola thought to herself as she trotted up to a locked door. A small viewing glass allowed her to peer inside a dark room. She could swear that she still heard crying.

"Hello?" Lola said tensely.

She heard a low mumble in reply. As she tilted her head against the door, trying to hear better, the voice came out in a scream.

"RUN AWAY!" It shrieked, making Lola jump a meter into the air.

She bolted down the hallway as fast as her legs would carry her. All the way voices and moans poured from the locked doors. Screaming and taunting at her. Like a thousand pleas for help mingling together into a web of cries. She reaches an ancient door at the end of the hallway and tugs on the handle with all of her strength. The door creaks, but stays closed, locking Lola in with the screams.

"Let me out!" She protested against the door. A clear plexiglass window set into the door let a brilliant light sweep into the hallway. Someone had heard her and had turned on a light. Lola sank into a quiet stance. She stood paralyzed for only the briefest of moments as the rest of the voices around her were silenced by the sound of footsteps coming down a flight of stairs. The door's handle shook as someone unlocked it from the outside. Lola instantly pressed herself up against the wall behind the door as it swung open with a creaky grinding in its hinges.

A man trotted a few meters in through the doorway. Lola could only see his muddy boots that were laced loosely to his feet.

"What's the fragging noise about?" He screamed harshly at the other whimpering voices that were locked away in their cells. The man let out a coarse grunt. "All of you best keep yourselves quiet, else the Devil come down for you all. The Devil do not like noise in his hour before gathering. He doesn't like to be disturbed."

Lola kept as quiet as she could and slowly inched her way around the door so she could see the man who was standing in the middle of the hallway. He was an older man, Lola would guess he was in his early forties with greasy thinning hair about his head. His clothes were included the vile boots he wore, a pair of baggy pants that had more mud on them than the boots, and a very sinister looking jacket. The jacket had steel spikes sticking out of the left shoulder. Wether they were there just for show or they wear real, Lola didn't want to find out.

The man snorted loudly. "So keep your worthless meats quiet else I hafta come back down 'ere and put an end to yas." There were a few responding words from a few of the cells, but most kept quiet. "I said BE QUIET!" He screamed and instantly a dead silence fell over the hallway. Lola dared not to even breathe.

The man tilted his head and Lola thought for sure that she had been discovered, but he wasn't turning around. He was staring straight ahead. For a moment Lola couldn't figure out what he had seen, but then she realized that she hadn't locked her cell door back. A streak of fear shot through her when she realized her mistake. The man started limping his way down to Lola's former cell just as her heart started to beat faster. She had to move and she had to move now. The man had already pulled at her door and found it to be unlocked.

As quietly as she could, Lola slipped around the hallway door and backed herself out the doorway just as the man poked his head into Lola's cell.

"She gone?' The man mumbled quietly to himself. Lola rounded the doorway just as the man's voice rose into a frantic screech. "SHE'S GONE! Devil will kill me!" The man brought his head out of the cell to see Lola sneaking her way out the hallway door. The expression on his face was one of fear, then sudden relief seeing that his prisoner had not gotten far. "Oh! There she is. Come here, little slitch, and get back in you little cell now."

Lola paused at the look on the man's face, her hands wrapped around the handle that would close the hallway door.

The man held his hands out cautiously. For the first time, Lola noticed an odd-shaped baton slung on the man's belt. "That's it, slitch, you stay right there."

When the man took a step toward her, Lola discarded anything he said and yanked the door closed. "No chance, freak!"

The man bolted into a sprint for the closing door. "You no close door on me!" He was now barreling toward the door at a speed the Lola could almost not believe.

Lola pulled the door closed just as the man slammed into it. The force of the impact knocked Lola down and dent the metal hinges that held the door in its place. Shaken and slightly bruised from the impact, Lola grabbed the door's handle and pulled it closed with a metal clank. The man on the other side screamed loudly as she hit the lock and left him trapped on the other side.

"Devil be mad now!" The man rambled. "He want's you to stay in the cell." He unhooked the stun baton on his belt and jabbed it at the plexiglass window on the hallway door. The plexiglass showed a crack under the impact and Lola jerked at the violent sound. "You get back in here!" She scrambled to her feet just as the plexiglass was crushed under the force behind the stun baton. Fragments of glass dotted the floor as the man forced the rest of his arm through the broken window. He kept swinging the baton back and forth, trying to make contact with Lola. Then he started pushing up against the door. Though the maglock kept it secured, with each push the door's hinges weakened. "You stay! You get back in cell so Devil won't get made at me! You stay!"

Lola ran up the stairs as the man continued pushing and banging against the door. She was sure that the sounds the man made would warn whoever else that something was wrong. He was making enough noise to wake the dead. Lola didn't care who he waked up, she just wanted to get out of here.

She came out of the stairway into a hallway with a concrete floor. She headed for a pair of large doors at the end, but stopped before getting there because she heard someone coming. Voices from beyond the door heading for her. She turned and headed down the opposite end of the hall. The more turns and twists she took to elude her pursuers, the more lost she got. It was like this entire place was setup like some gigantic maze.

It wasn't the voices and the screams from behind her that made Lola afraid. It was when she heard the barking of dogs that drove her into a frantic panic. She hated dogs and was terrified of them. When she heard their growls and snaps, she doubled her pace and zipped through the lattice of inter-connecting hallways and forced her way into what looked like a small storage room. She barricaded the door as best that she could with an old chair and prayed that it would hold.

Why can't I just be in the Matrix right now, Lola thought to herself. At least if trouble comes after me there, I can always remove the cord from the jack. Reality bites.

A light poured in from one corner of this small room. Lola immediately went over to investigate. She found a small window leading to the freedom of the outside world. Unfortunately, her path was blocked by more than one obstacle. The window had steel bars on the outside and, to complicate matters, the window had a steel mesh built into it. That would make breaking the window a very unsafe proposition.

A violent force struck the door and screamed for Lola's name. Yet she was trapped in this room with freedom within her sight, but unable to obtain it. They were coming for her and there was no where left to run.

3:10 pm

Strife was becoming worried. He had less than eleven hours to find the codes and he was no closer to his goal than he was the night before. "Let's go over this again, Clare, who did the decker tell?"

The woman who had magically probed Fuzzhead's mind gave a tired sigh. "I've told you a dozen times already. The only thing I could understand out of him, the only word that kept coming out, was fear. I couldn't have gotten any deeper than that."

Strife grunted. "Of all the mages in the world, I get sent one that can't even perform a decent mindprobe."

Clare sneered at him.

"Don't be making faces at me, woman. I read you dossier." Strife scorned. "Your don't go for combat magic so I don't really have that much to worry about. All you do is run support for barriers and the like. It's amazing that I was even sent you."

"You've got a lot to be proud of, don't you."

"Frag off, you don't know what's at stake." Strife lit a cigar. "You haven't been that much help to us either. I got Goran combing the streets for rumors and half of the background that Dows sent with him."

Clare leaned back in her seat in the small hotel room. She eyed Strife carefully, trying to make sense of him. He was scared, he had to be. Failure on his part could be very dangerous. Clare knew that it would take at least another forty-eight hours for Renraku to change over the access codes, according to the latest estimate anyway.

"If I could just make things fit together." Strife rested his head in the palm of his hand. "Matrix services traced the decker, Fuzzhead, to his doss. We mindprobe the decker and get nothing." He shrugs.

"I think he was too frightened at the time."

"Maybe." Strife took a drag from his cigar and let the ashes drop onto the carpet. "So we get nothing from the mindprobe. We rip through his telecom and find out where his last calls went. Outside of a Chin's Chinese Restaurant, we get a number that leads us to Ms. Windors. Even though it's a fairly old call. We pay a visit to her and find out that she doesn't appreciate our presence. She's obviously involved in the shadows some way. Now no one can find this woman."

Clare just shook he head. "It's funny to think that in three or so days none of this will matter."

Strife just gave an unconscious shrug. "But if Windors is shadow, then..." He paused. "She's already contact someone to find the codes for her." Strife shook his head. "Or she could have just taken Fuzzhead's words at face value and ignored it. Taking him as a decker with no real reputation. But if she didn't then that would mean that she suspects something."

"Strife?"

Strife looked at her for the first time since he had started talking.

"Your ranting and not making much sense."

At that moment, Strife's phone rang. He pulled the portable handset unit from his coat pocket and flipped it open.

"Strife here."

"Boss?" It was Goran.

"Yeah, tell me what you've got."

"I got a lot of rumors walking around, boss. I don't think many of them mean a thing. It's hard to sort them all out."

"Let me worry about that drek, Goran, and just tell me what you've found out."

"Okay, boss." On the other end of the line, Goran pulled out a pocket secretary and displayed all of his findings so he could read it all off. "We did as you said and started checking around for anyone who might have accepted a job to find the missing access codes. Half the people on the corporate snitch list didn't know a thing, so we ran into a lot of dead ends. But we had someone down at the Big Rhino this afternoon and she overheard a rumor that a shadowteam was involved with it. Don't really know anything beyond that, nothing specific. It seems that one of them hangs around the Big Rhino a lot."

"Forget that, what can you tell me about the team."

Goran shrugged. "Nothing really, other than the fact that they don't have a anyone who can work the Matrix."

Strife rubbed his chin, which could explain Fuzzhead's involvement with them.

"But, boss, I got something else."

"Tell me."

"We did some searching on the bus lines and we got this driver that remembers picking up a girl that matched Lola Domingo's description sometime last night."

Excellent, Strife thought to himself. "Where did they drop her off at?"

"Somewhere in Tacoma, I got a general area where the bus stopped. Not a neighborly place to be, but it's a start."

"Pull everybody together." Strife ordered. "Then meet back here. We're taking the whole group and going into Tacoma. She's got to be in that area somewhere. But leave the decker that Dows gave us in the Matrix. Tell him to find out all he can about this shadowteam."

"You got it, boss, but we're spread out pretty thin right now. It'll take a little time."

"Then don't waste it by talking to me, get moving."